Original scientific paper
On relations between natural sciences and religion. Contribution to reflections
Josip Balabanić
orcid.org/0000-0002-5056-4715
Abstract
This article discusses relations between natural sciences and religion in the modern history and questions their relation in the postmodern era. Starting from the fact that, by the occurrence of modern history natural sciences and secularism in humanistic sciences, »two cultures« have been created within which religion was most often a matter of conflict, the author calls for building relations of complementarity. He shows that members of both cultures, natural scientists and humanistic scientists, including theology, have in common an insatiable aspiration for truth in getting to know this issue, i.e. the rationality of the world of nature and man. Contrary to the thesis of unavoidability of conflict between natural science and religion, as well as the thesis on the need of sheer common tolerance, or parallel existence, he proposes a relation of complementarity which implies a strict autonomy of natural sciences and religion (theology), as well as open mutual influences in the construction of integral images of the world and worldviews of the members of »both cultures«. Thus, a world of a »third culture« would be created in the post-modern world which, in the natural science image of the world, finds a place for a system of values, as well as for paths to resolve current problems common to all of us (unjust division of richness of the world, increasing poverty of large parts of humanity, terrorism, ethical problems related to new biotechnologies etc.).
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
83408
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2006.
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